| Abstract: | Abstract Phosphorus fixation in soil occurs mainly in the clay fraction, the mineralogical nature of which varies widely. Phosphorus sorption characteristics of 14 soil clays having divergent mineral compositions have been studied with P concentrations approximating those in fertilized soils, because insufficient data were found in the literature on the role of various soil clay mineral species in P fixation. The results show that clays with dominant Kaolinite or halloysite fix more than 75 percent of the applied P; followed by those with major Kaolinite or halloysite or dominant x‐ray amorphous materials (60–70% fixation). Beidellitic clays fix more P (50%) than montmorillonitic clays (45%), which in turn sorb more P than vermiculitic clays (29%). |
